Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots Review

PROS

Fruit Ninja meets Point Blank; great variety of challenges in Bandito mode.

Blends the movie tie-in features with Fruit Ninja without overwhelming it.

Usual assortment of unlockables to keep you coming back for more.

CONS

Ultimately Fruit Ninja in another guise; if you own the original, all you're getting is Bandito mode.

VERDICT

Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots shows how to make movie tie-in's work without being overbearing; Bandito mode brings a real Arcade flair to the original Fruit Ninja formula, while thematic touches give the game charm.

Full Review

App Store Info

On almost any other day of the week I'd be happy to sympathize with the swathes of gamers who rally against movie tie-in titles, but every now and then a developer manages to make it work for them. Then again, it should be no surprise that Puss in Boots works with Fruit Ninja (he is a swordsman after all), but the real magic of Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots is in its new mode, 'Bandito'.

Of course those who just want to slice fruit can get their fill in the classic mode dubbed 'Desperado' (yes, I'm sure the name was no mistake). There are some changes to the mode, including new 'patterns' and the inclusion of a bonus 'magic bean' from the movie. Once you're done with that you can move on to the new mode that bears a striking resemblance to Arcade skill shooters including games like Point Blank.

Players need to survive 12 levels in a row with only three lives on offer. The trick here is that each level has a specific requirement to fulfill that's complicated by the completely unique way in which the challenge is presented. Some levels have you splitting a giant fruit up ala Pang; others make you cut fruit amongst a hail of bombs; while some let you play a sort of modified three-match game. It's fast-paced and for the first few play-throughs the novelty of it all is amazing.

The stigma of being a movie tie-in is often one of having tired game concepts quickly exploited for the sake of having something on the shelf. Instead of trying to rock the boat, Halfbrick Studios embraces Puss in Boots entirely, giving Fruit Ninja fans new to chew on. Worth checking out if you love the original game or if you can't get enough of Antonio Banderas' smooth Spanish voice.

Description

En garde! Fruit meets fairytales in the juiciest iPhone game this year - Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots!

The suave fruit-slashing swashbuckler, Puss in Boots, faces a challenge that would make Sensei proud. His search for the Magic Beans brings him to developer Halfbrick's legendary hit game Fruit Ninja. Prepare for a journey full of familiar and fruit slicing action he encounters a huge variety of new and exciting challenges!

Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots features the all-new Bandito mode! Slice through a series of increasingly exciting challenges to become the greatest Fruit Ninja warrior ever! Each stage thrusts you into never-seen-before fruit frenzy adventure: Massive fruit from the Giant's castle, precision and timing challenges, all-out fruit onslaughts with new obstacles And for the first time EVER: Throw down against the most-requested addition in Fruit Ninja history - the tomato!

Real Banditos must put their best blade forward because scoring is based on the number of fruit sliced, ninja reflexes and slicing efficiency. A true produce warrior can attain massive high scores and upload their best to Global Leaderboards to compare against friends and the best players online!

Bring your blade to Desperado mode - an enhanced and re-mastered version of the Classic Fruit Ninja game that introduced 400 million players to the world's biggest dojo! But this time, you will face even more fruit, unique waves and Puss in Boots' elusive Magic Beans from the DreamWorks Animation feature film!

Finally, bask in the fruit-stained glory of Puss in Boots' own exclusive ninja Stash, featuring a whole range of unique customizable content, including new backgrounds and blades with elements from both the film and Fruit Ninja.

Stay juicy, amigos!

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IMPORTANT NOTICE TO PARENTS

This game may contain:

- Promotional material for Halfbrick products and trusted business partners.
- Links to external social networking sites intended for users over the age of 13.
- Direct links to the internet which may open the default web browser on your device.

What's New in Version 1.0.4 (12)

Hey guys!

This is a quick update to address some minor performance issues and improve stability across all devices. We've also added iPhone 5 support for your viewing pleasure! Thanks for playing and keep living that fairytale dream!